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September 14, 2014 marks The 200th Anniversary of The Star-Spangled Banner As Francis Scott Key watched the smoke clear and the sun rise above Baltimore’s Fort McHenry after witnessing its bombardment by British naval ships during the final months of the War of 1812, he had every expectation of seeing a white flag of surrender. To his surprise, he saw the tattered, but still flying, remains of an oversized American flag that had been commissioned just months earlier by the fort’s commander Major George Armistead. Key was so moved by the by sight of the flag and by the Americans’ protection of their fort that he penned the poem “Defence of Fort M’Henry.” That poem, eventually set to music and renamed “The Star-Spangled Banner,” became the national anthem of the United States of America. A-Jay

about 4 or 5 months ago I brought home 5 baby bass (florida strain) from the lake and put them in a 75 gallon aquarium. 3 of the 5 died (2 died from the severe beating and starvation from the dominant one preventing them from eating) and 1 had no chance. A Friend of mine brought home 10 and 7 died. , and here are some observations from the last 4 months . These are just objective observations I've made without bringing prior knowledge into it. conclude from it what you will. They will not eat any dead prey , period. They love to suspend vertically in tall grass at night , (head down, tail up) . They love to hang out on the other side of cover from where their prey is. When they feed the like to push their prey up against the glass. They love a tube they can swim through much more than anything with leaves or limbs. (A perfect bass habitat would be big black corrugated pipe with holes along the sides they can swim in and out of over a tree). If they didn't see it on the fall , they won't notice it on the bottom for a while, and won't come to investigate it just sitting on the bottom. When they eat fish , they will sometimes have 2 or 3 at a time inside their mouth. Also when they eat fish many times they eat it and then spit it back out and seem to only consume it again if its still alive. So if they swallow a fish and spit it back out and its dead , they tend to just leave it alone. The dominant fish will nip at smaller fish to keep them from feeding (even if they're not actively feeding). when they're feeding , they're feeding. and when they're not they won't eat anything even if it dances on their head. alot of times they rest motionless on the bottom when they're full. Crawish will move , then freeze, then move , then pause. especially if they fall from the top of the water to the bottom, when they hit the bottom, they freeze. When they move without pausing its usually when the bass are actively feeding or just finished actively feeding. They also don't like the daylight and tend to only come out at night. They find one spot inside cover and tend to stay in the same cover spot and not move around. crawfish are lighter on the bottom than the top , so if you have a 2 color crawfish bait, go lighter color on the bottom. They match the color of the water around them They're behavior and physical appearance match the behavior and physical appearance of the bass at my lake as the moon phases and seasons change. that's all i can think of right now, i wish i had a webcam to just keep on the tank 24 hours a day because its really peaceful to watch them.

No it's not always a death sentence. I've caught bass with a gill trailing out beyond the gill plate, having been parted at the upper end. One of them I caught twice, a month apart.

Well guys I've been trying to catch a big bass and I finally did it! Went out today and threw a 12" worm for a hour or so with no success so I switched to a 1/2oz black and blue structure jig with a Big bite baits craw trailer and caught her!! Thanks guys! Bassresource has made me such a better angler and I couldn't have done it without yall... The more I tried targeting big bass the more I realized it wasn't for me... So this ends my big bass quest. Its tough, going hours without a bite waiting for that one good one is hard on your mind. An old rusty scale we had said 5lbs for what its worth, that's a PB for me, I finally broke 5!!!

I added a 12" NLMB to our koi pond at the beginning of the year, but he has bulked up and is now likely over 2lbs. His situation is slightly different than your bass, in that his neighbors are a 10" bluegill that is (currently) too big for him to eat and 5 clueless koi his size & larger. His diet consists of nightcrawlers, goldfish and whatever insects/lizards/rodents my kids find & feed him. Here are a few observations I have had over the past 9 months: Bass will get accustomed to people quickly - When I first put him in the pond, he hid underneath a rock at the spillway for 5 days, never coming out when we were there. Now he associates us with food, so not only does not hide from people, he will follow you around the pond waiting for food to be introduced. I can never release him back into the wild, he would set up shop outside a dock waiting for people to throw him things. The vision of a bass looking above the water is excellent - Not only does he have the vision to follow us around, he moves to where I toss nightcrawlers in before they hit the water. I'm not sure if he is watching my hand motion or if he sees the crawlers in the air, but they barely have a chance to get wet before he has swallowed them. This has made me again realize the importance of stealth when fishing, those shallow bass can see a lot around them. Some bass are gluttons - I say some, because unlike your fish, mine has never turned down a meal after that initial 5 days. When I feed him goldfish, I put 10 in at once & it is a massacre. He is chasing them down even with others hanging out of his mouth. Any live food put in the pond is eaten immediately. Bass attack different foods differently - Although he has been somewhat domesticated, my bass shows his wild side whenever live critters are tossed in the pond. He goes after the goldfish exactly the same as fish do when they are boiling on shad - quickly, violently & relentless, pure predator mode. Nightcrawlers are inhaled completely immediately, no swimming around with part of it hanging out of his mouth. Yet when koi food is tossed in, he will leisurely swim around, find 4 or 5 pellets stuck together & softly slurp them off the surface. Sometimes he decides he doesn't like them & will spit them back out, but usually he eats that as well, even after devouring 10 goldfish. Prey that he believes can get away is hunted down while "fish food" is eaten like popcorn at a movie theater. It is fun having him around & watching him subtlety dominate the pond. He doesn't attack the other fish or chase them off, he just stands his ground when he sets up shop & the goofy koi give him room. He is so much quicker & has better natural instincts than the koi. He (She?) is starting to get some shoulders on him, if he reaches 23lbs, I'll have get my picture taken with him

I'm a bit of an addict when it comes to bladed jigs. I agree with aavery, fish them as slow as you can while keeping the blade moving. They'll work on a faster retrieve, but when they really shine is during a slow retrieve. I've had very good luck as of late with a lift, drop retrieve, sometimes really ripping it off the bottom. The odd thing is versus most baits that they hit on the drop they seem to strike on the upswing a lot of the time. I can't stress the importance of buying a quality bait enough either. I had lots of problems with hooks and skirts falling apart and poor quality hooks and components, so I started making my own. Lots of other good quality baits out there but I like being able to build them exactly to my specifications. I use about anything for a trailer, lately it's been a Pit Boss or Rage Menace, both rigged sideways. Havoc Subwoofers and beat shad are both good, 2/3 of a 5" stickworm is one I use a lot that I doubt fish ever see. My biggest bladed jig fish to date hit a black and blue 3/8oz with 2/3 of a BPS Stick O.

If it isn't hitting anything I like to use a stop and go retrieve instead of a straight retrieve. Ticking the tops of weeds with them is a killer way to fish them too.

I'm with you. If I can't hit something with my sq bill, I'm going to tie on something else.

I guess I am a nerd... I crash mine into anything, bounce of wood, and I love to bang, clang on rocks, riprap etc...caught a bunch off rocks, less off wood... I would rather run traps above & along weed tops/ edges... Other than that... I will use other baits..

Well Melvern was real good to conorsixtakc and I today, despite some motor troubles I had towards the end. We were on the water by 7ish, only one other truck in the parking lot, and holy FOG. I haven't navigated through fog that thick ever. We started out pitching up to the marina rip rap, no takers. Decided to just head to the dam and work our way north to south until the fog burned off. Conor had the first few fish in the boat on the Ned. Two of my first big ones came unbuttoned before I could boat them, one on a tube and one on the Ned. Conor had the upperhand for most of the tour of the dam, channeling his inner Kehde. After the fog burned off, we headed back to the north end of the dam to fish the sunken island. I caught a few decent ones on a 3" 1/8 oz. tube, and Conor, a swimbait, and decided to just keep drifting to the first main lake point, which had the wind blowing right over it in about 3-6 fow. We ended up making 3-4 passes over that point and boated 10 or 11, as well as our biggest fish of the day.That was a fun one. Next pass that didn't produce we made our way to Turkey Creek cove. Ended up striking gold on a few more windblown points and caught probably 8-10 more. My tubes continued to produce, and Conor was switching between a tube and his swimbait, both of which caught fish. Conor had a toad come off and I'm sure he's still sick about it. All in all I'd say we put about 50-60 respectable bronzies in the boat between the two of us (Conor caught a nice channel cat too). Dozens that came unbottoned. A ton of the smallies we caught were spitting up shad as opposed to craws. Ended up patterning the fish real nice, had an absolute blast breaking in my new rod, and getting personal redemption for last weekend's slow trip. My work schedule changes to 6:30 next week, so I won't make able to make any more Thursday nighters. But I'll be at a Saturday morning or two. Sorry for the huge post.

Hey folks, There seems to be a swirl of misconceptions circulating through the web regarding holding a bass. It seems some people think it's incredibly easy to break a jaw and/or kill a bass simply by holding a fish straight up and down, or sideways without supporting them. The former won't cause any damage, and while the latter method COULD cause damage, it's not automatic, and is far less likely the lighter the fish is. I see so many people these days screaming a fish is killed when a 1-pounder is held sideways, or when they see a fish held by any other means than sideways with support....it's great people are thinking about conservation, but that's over-the-top. While I never want to see a fish injured due to improper handling, it's become abundantly clear that there are some misunderstandings about holding a fish when I see people get angry and upset over folks holding fish in ways that are perfectly fine. So, here's a short video that clears up some of those misconceptions. Hope it helps!

Catching fish has nothing to do with how much money you spend or who's name is on the package. I catch as many fish as anyone on our local waters and use nothing but $2.99 per bag Havoc plastics, cheap Booyah jigs and frogs, and Strike King hard baits. If I am not catching fish, it's not because I am not using yamamoto plastics or megabass hard baits. But if spending top dollar on stuff gives you confidence, and more enjoyment of your time on the water , then do it. It's not my place to tell people how to spend their hard earned money.

Hello fellow anglers. I am recently a new member of BR but have been reading the forums for some time now and this is by far my favorite site on the entire web (except youtube when im watching bassresource videos). Now to the question. Is it normal to be consumed with bass fishing when first starting? Ive been fishing all my life but within the last year discovered bass fishing in particular. Bass, bass, bass, bass. Its all I think about and I cant seem to shake it. I want to be on the water trying out new spots, gear, and techniques. I want to know everything about this creature so I can be a better fisherman. I want to know about local weather and seasonal patterns. I want to know about all the new (and old) lures and how they work. Its like my brain is a sponge and if it has anything to do with fishing i soak it up. But most of all I feel antsy and anxious to get back on the water. I dont know what it is but it has taken over me. Is this normal and if so will it go away or get worse?

I'm trying to figure out how to cut out the cheek meat. LOL

Most likely it will get worse. I am 51, fished for bass for over 40 years and still find myself driving down the road and imagining if the areas off the side of the road were underwater, where the bass might be and what would be the best way to catch them.

Oh Yeah!!!

Your face about split with that smile! lol

Same thing happened to me both days this weekend. I was wondering what the heck I was doing wrong....and then as soon as the sun cleared the trees and hit the water this afternoon I saw something interesting. There were schools of smallish 1 pound bass, and I could see them just grabbing the end of the worm and swimming with it. It just starting getting cold in NJ here at night, wondered if this had anything to do with it. I also saw lots of really small pickeral, was a weird weekend of sightings for me.

Your quest for your FIRST big bass is over... Congrats on an awesome fish!

Nice fish!

Congrats on a nice fish.

The search is never over!

Why stop at one? Repeat what you did and look for the same conditions and cover and see if you can't put another one in the boat.

That's a good feeling. Congrats!

Nice job. You deserve it.

Well done. WTG!! You kept at it. Your quest has only just begun.

Sorry but this is a load of bull. You'd have just as good a chance at stopping the blood by pouring water on them. Just get them back in the lake/live well ASAP to stop bleeding

PB's are sweet but they are meant to be broken. Congrats.

Nice fish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's a great fish! Nice work!

Agree with Lou I use 30 minimum on baitcaster And 20 max on spinning Mike

went yesterday I did not catch a thing and Chris caught one white. Of course I suck at fishing and should have gone to melvern

Congrats on your new PB.

40lb braid is the ideal diameter for BC's. Digging is minimal, and having the extra thickness helps the line hold up better in cover. 30lb, works well too, but it digs alot more. 20lbs although some have said they have had no issues with it, I feel it's a recipe for a lot of heartache and frustration. 20lbs and under should be utilized in spinner's and 30lb and higher on b/c's.

I would go back to the 8lb Invizx, those methods of fishing have a lot of slack line which straight flouro will be a LOT more sensitive. Braid is extremely sensitive when its tight but its not a dense line so it does not transmit bites well when slack.

Here is a good series from Shimano. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLpO74dWuoE

and then dragged and kicked her out of the elevator..

Strike king diamond shad

Mexican bass with an attitude.

Thanks

Well hot d**n thats about as fine tootin redneck if I ever heard

Spofford Lake in Chesterfield is your best bet There are monster pike in there.

Me too. And I have caught trout with a gill raker hanging out but healed. I think it will be iffy for that fish whether or not he survives, but some of them do.

Fished the Quabbin Reservoir in Mass on Friday. The wind was brutal in the AM, but as always I ducked into a cove that has produced some very large smallies for me. We only caught a few small mouth, but they were very quality, including pics of a 4lber below I landed at the end of the day. I know it's a hike for us NH guys, but I can't say enough great things about this place. I'm convicned there's a record SM in there. Rattletraps and chatterbaits were the winner yesterday.

I wish corporate punishment was stiffer, too many of these CEOs are getting away with robbing us blind.

I own the older model Powell Diesel 7 ft MH Moderate fast rod. It works great for rattle traps, squarebills, even spinnerbaits.

Imagine the personal satisfaction when you outfish your guide from the back of the boat. Now that's a challenge.

Well, I've been drop shot fishing for smallie since 2002 and have never gone looking for smallies on structure per say. It's probably a good starting point, like a map is, but you can't just fish a point or hump with nothing on it. Paramount to my fishing success is searching for BAIT, not fish or structure. If I find a decent bait ball down there, the drop shot follows quickly. I've found such bait balls on flats, drop offs, and even humps and points. But the "type" of structure is not where it's at for my neck of the woods. Sometimes the bait is strung out with small clumps here & there. That's tough fishing. You can usually pick off one or two here & there, but it's not very consistent. Better is when you find a large ball of bait such as this: and this: Up here, the main forage is smelt. However, in lean smelt years, yellow perch and other species of panfish become the dominant forage. You can always determine the type of forage by putting down your drop shot. Constant pecking at your bait indicates yellows. No picking indicates smelt. We have verified this time & time again by both hooking the bait and with the use of an Aqua-View camera. When you do find decent, thick congregations of bait, regardless of "where" it is found, the smallmouth will not be far behind. I guarantee. Here are a few pictures of what I was able to land & release just yesterday, utilizing this strategy. Took 11 smallies in 6 hours of fishing: And here's two pictures of the best fish taken on 9/10/14: My methodology may not be the best in every part of the country, but it sure is where I would start.

High School Bass Fishing team went out for practice yesterday and I caught this 6-1 slob on a texas rigged Rage lobster!

I just want to know what kind of guide doesn't take payment before the trip starts? All that should have been worked out before leaving the ramp. If you don't want him fishing then express that before you get on the water. If he doesn't fish and you can't catch them.....don't blame the man either because you told him not to fish....YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN. Then bad mouth him because you couldn't catch anything. I would have gratefully returned to the ramp as requested, dropped him off, put my boat on the trailer, wished him a safe drive home, but sorry, if there had been a contract and you are going to be bitter like that, you're not getting anything back because you are bitter and just wasted a day of my time. I want the guide to fish, I want to see what he is doing on his waters, he is out there everyday making a living, who better to see what's working then the guy that "fishes" for a living. I fished, but then I also handed most of my fish off to customers once they were hooked if conditions were tough, or just to prove a point if they weren't listening to my professional advice on how to get bit...can't catch them unless you get a bite....so to blow up right off the bat like your friend did, honestly I would have taken him back myself and given him his money before hand and since I was already there......gone fishing.